Located west of Lake Taupō, Pureora Forest Park is internationally recognised as one of New Zealand’s most significant biodiversity strongholds. Although he did not originally expect a career in conservation, Blackburn says his lifelong love of the outdoors made the transition feel natural. He recently helped carry out tikanga during the release of an injured kākā that had been rehabilitated before being returned to the Pureora forest. Pureora Forest Park has long been regarded as one of the country’s conservation treasures, attracting trampers, birdwatchers and outdoor enthusiasts from across Aotearoa while safeguarding some of the last extensive tracts of ancient native forest. Like the korowai he envisions, the future of Pureora will be strongest when every strand is woven together.